


Trip and Stumble

by Kittychatuwu



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Broken Bones, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Injury, Injury Recovery, Light Angst, Nathalie Sancoeur Ships It, Protective Nathalie Sancoeur, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27414319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittychatuwu/pseuds/Kittychatuwu
Summary: After a chaotic morning, Marinettes day goes from bad to worse when she quite literally crash lands onto her crush.Not that Adrien would ever be mad.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 9
Kudos: 248





	Trip and Stumble

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a one shot of an idea I couldn't get out of my head, but I may add to it if I'm inspired enough

Marinette didn't quite think things could have went any worse than they already had that morning.

For starters, her alarm had failed to go off that morning which resulted in her having five minutes to get to school.Then Alya had texted her saying she was sick and couldn't come in that day, so Marinette was in for a day of sitting alone.

When she finally got herself out the door it had started to raining, and by the time she arrived at school she was utterly drenched and had dropped her history textbook into a puddle.

It was fair to say her day had started out terrible, but it only got worse from there.

She hugged her damp book to her chest with a sigh, sprinting up the steps as fast as she could in the hope of getting to class just in time for the bell.

She didn't hear Adrien calling her name behind her, and when she turned she tripped over him.

Automatically he reached out to grab her and stop her from tumbling, but the slippery ground made stopping his own fall impossible and they both ended falling back down the steps with a crash.

She had squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for an undoubtedly painful impact with the concrete, but it never came.

When she tentatively opened her eyes she realised why.

Adrien had shielded her body with his pretty much, hugging her tight to his chest and wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from taking the brunt of the impact.  
"A-Adrien?!" She squeaked worriedly, scrambling to get off him when he let out a low groan.  
"I'm fine" he said, but when he tried to stand he abruptly sprawled back to the ground with a pained cry.

Ohgodohgodohgodohgod-

He tried to stand again but she quickly stopped him, a hand placed solidly on his shoulder to prevent him from trying again.  
"Marinette I'm-"  
"You're not fine, tell me what's hurting" she murmured, and he relented with a slight wince.  
"My leg. I... I think it could be broken..." he admitted reluctantly and the guilt Marinette felt was immediately amped up even further.

Adrien likely had a broken leg, and it was all her own stupid fault for being so damn clumsy.  
He must be so angry and upset with her, what if he didn't want to be her friend anymore?  
It would be pretty damn understandable. What if his leg never heals right either, and what if it's super awful and he can never walk again?!

"Marinette, breathe. 1, 2, 3. In and out, that's it" Adrien directed and she tried her best to follow his direction, slowly starting to settle somewhat. She covered her face in her hands and let out a shaky sigh. He was calming her down, but it should be the other way around.

"I'm so sorry Adrien, I'm the absolute worst" she murmured, but he reached up to move her hands away from her face.

"It's really ok, it was an accident. I don't blame you at all, could've happened to anyone" he sent her his signature beaming smile, but she could see the slight grimace break through as the pain in his leg flared.

She needed to get him help!

"I'll get help, I'll call an ambulance!" She said hurriedly and he paled at the idea.  
"Can you just call Nathalie instead? I... I hate hospitals, but I have a doctor who can patch me up back at home" he pleaded. She was conflicted, especially since she wasn't sure if he had hit anywhere else, but her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill squeal.

"Adrinkins! Oh my God, what did you do to him, Dupain-Chang?!" Chloe shrieked, and Marinette found herself shrinking under Chloes gaze for the first since kindergarten. She looked absolutely murderous as she raced over, crouching down on Adriens other side.

She was surprised the blonde wasn't complaining about getting her hair wet, in all honesty.

"I- I didn't mean to..." Marinette whispered to her own defence, but Chloe's glare only strengthened.  
"You think that pathetic excuse is good enough?! You hurt my Adrikins, and-"  
"Enough, Chloe. We just had a small accident and it wasn't her fault. Could somebody please just call Nathalie? This is starting to really hurt" his smile fell away completely as he squeezed his eyes shut with a groan.  
Marinette nodded quickly, and reached for his phone.  
It was the least she could do. 

~~~~~~~~~~~○~○~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of days went by and Marinettes guilt had only continued to fester.  
Adrien had been absent as expected, but from what he had told Nino the break was bad and it could be a few weeks until he's able to return.

She felt awful.  
Adrien loved school, and now he had to miss it for weeks because of her own clumsiness.

Chloe hadn't helped much either, wailing about how much pain he was in and the fact that apparently he had missed a rather high profile shoot because of his injury.  
She also directed glares and harsh comments her way at every opportunity, taking great joy in reminding her how this was very much on her.

That Saturday morning, it was her guilt that drove her to where she currently was.

Standing outside the gates of the Agreste mansion with a bouquet of flowers and a box of freshly baked macaroons in all of Adriens favourite flavours.

She took a deep breath before hitting the buzzer, and a voice he recognised as Nathalie rang through the speaker.  
"Yes? What can I do for you?"   
Marinette swallowed, holding the gifts in the view of the camera.  
"I- I wanted to give Adrien these, and perhaps come to see him if you would allow it" she stumbled over her words as she forced herself to smile.

There was a silence following her request, and after about twenty seconds she felt her shoulders deflate, taking the signal of rejection.

She turned to leave when suddenly the gates began to open.

Her eyes widened and she found her smile becoming a lot more real momentarily as she rushed through and towards the mansion doors, where sure enough the familiar woman was standing waiting.

"In all honesty, I shouldn't be letting you in. Mr Agreste ordered no guests, but since he is not here..."  
Adriens father wasn't here? Strange. If she had broken her leg, she was certain her dad would be constantly checking on her and doting on her.  
"... I am willing to make an exception. Especially since Adrien seemed very eager to talk to you." 

She found her cheeks heating up at that slightly.  
She hoped it was a positive type of eagerness, at least.  
Nathalie gestured her inside and pulled the doors shut behind them before starting to walk in the direction of where she supposed Adrien's room was.  
Marinette had to speed up slightly to keep up with her, and was so preoccupied with doing so she almost hit straight into her when she stopped outside of a door.

"He's in bed, but he isn't sleeping. I'll come and inform you when it's time for you to leave" Nathalie said before turning on her heel and leaving Marinette alone before she could even utter her thanks.

She took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, knocking on the door lightly before she pushed it open slightly.  
"A-Adrien?" She called out.  
"Come in, Marinette!" He called back and she stepped fully into the room, shutting the door behind her.  
Her heart caught in her throat when she saw the blonde haired boy.

He looked very pale, and his leg was in a thick cast covered partly by his pyjama bottoms. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and she could see bandages wrapped around his torso too with dark purple bruising blooming around them and all the way up to his shoulder.

Her eyes welled with tears and she could feel her body trembling slightly.  
She had hurt him even more than she had thought, and seeing him bandaged and bruised like that made her 'gifts' seem meaningless and ridiculous.  
How could she ever make this up to him?! Certainly not with a dozen macaroons or stupid flowers.

"Please don't get upset, I'm really ok. My leg is broke but my ribs aren't, they're just a bit bruised and the bandages are more of a precaution" he explained, trying to sit up but hissing in pain when the movement cause his ribs to ache.

She rushed over and put her gifts aside to help sit him up slowly and he thanked her.  
"I'm so sorry Adrien. So, so, so sorry" she said, adjusting the blanket to tuck him up a little more.  
He reached out and covered her hand over with his own, smiling earnestly her way.  
She froze, whole body still as she looked into his green eyes.

"I'm sorry" she repeated quietly.  
"You've mentioned" he teased with a slight grin, and she found her cheeks heating up.

"I- I really am. I should've been paying closer attention and you wouldn't of gotten hurt" she said regretfully.  
"For the billionth time, it's really ok. It was kind of on me anyway, I was trying to take the fall to stop you from getting hurt" he shrugged and she exhaled deeply, carefully sitting on the bed and avoiding his injuries as much as possible.

"You shouldn't of, from what I hear you're suffering with this a lot more than I would of. Chloe said you've been missing photo shoots, including a super important one" she said with a sad expression and Adrien huffed.

"Just ignore Chloe, she's just trying to be protective of me in her own misguided way. I'll tell her to lay off. As for the photoshoot, you sort of did me a favour. If I had done the cover of that magazine it would've undoubtedly stirred up those crazy fans again. The only downside is my father was angry, but he's away on a buisness trip anyway" it seemed that last part had slipped out before Adrien really noticed, because his eyes widened when he realised.

Marinette was staring at him in shock.  
"He got angry at you? But it's not your fault!" She blanched, feeling her frustration flare as Adrien gave her a sheepish look.  
"I- I know but... my father just doesn't take well to disappointment I suppose. Are those macaroons?" 

It was a blatantly transparent attempt to change the subject, but considering she had already caused Adrien enough physical discomfort she decided not to add emotional discomfort to the list as well.

She reached over and picked up the box from the nightstand, kicking her shoes off with only a brief hesitation before joining him properly on the queen sized bed.

"Yeah! A whole bunch of flavours, I made them fresh this morning. Would you like one?" She offered and he nodded eagerly, but when he reached out to get one he winced slightly, the movement leaving him sore.

"Uh, could you maybe..." he trailed off, his cheeks dusted slightly pink.  
It took Marinette a moment to decipher what he meant, and when she did her face lit up red.  
"Yeah! O-of course!" She found herself stammering over her response as she picked up an orange macaroons from the box. A mango one, since she knew Adrien enjoyed mango juice with his lunch at school.

Her hand was shaking slightly as she lifted it to his mouth, her fingertips connecting ever so slightly to those lips as he closed them over the small treat.  
As soon as he bit into it he let out a low groan, but it was one of pleasure rather than one of pain like she had heard from him a few days ago.

He swallowed it and sent her a lopsided smile.  
"That was delicious! You really baked them yourself?" He asked and she managed to nod.  
Before they could continue, the sound of the doors opening startled them both.

Marinette quickly shuffled away to put a suitable distance between them as Nathalie entered the room.  
If she had noticed their proximity she didn't say a word.

"It's time for your pain meds, Adrien. It might be best for you to take your leave, miss Dupain-Chang." Nathalie said and she nodded, trying to mask her disappointment.

Of course Adrien was her crush, and she was absolutely thrilled by any time they spent together, but above everything he was her friend too and honestly she mainly just wanted to provide some company for the obviously lonely boy for that bit longer.  
She had prevented him from attending school for potentially weeks with her carelessness, and she had an unsettling feeling that school was pretty much his only opportunity for meaningful human contact outside of his fathers assistant.

"Does she have to go, Nat?" Adrien asked, and Marinette turned to see him pouting in the direction of the woman.  
"You know the medication knocks you to sleep anyway most the time" she pointed out.  
"What if I just leave my medication for now?" He suggested.  
Marinette and Nathalie synced up with their mutual 'no!'  
Adrien huffed in response.  
"Fine, ok I get it. Could Marinette at least stay until I fall asleep?" The intimacy behind the seemingly innocent statement made Marinette blush deeper, and made Nathalie arch an eyebrow.

"Adrien..."

"Please" he begged, and Nathalie grumbled something about not being paid enough before nodding.  
Adriens face lit up as Nathalie passed him two pills and a glass of water.  
Once he downed the pain meds she left the water at his bedside and gave a nod to the pair before leaving as silently as she had entered.

Once she was gone Adrien relaxed back against the pillows, and Marinette found herself doing the same.  
Adriens bed was super comfortable.   
"Nathalie seems really nice" she commented, and he hummed.  
"She is. I'd be pretty lost without her. After my mom... well she sort of held me together. My dad too" he admitted.  
Marinette found herself glancing over to the young model, who had his eyes shut as lay beside her.

"Do... do you miss her?" She asked quietly, a little unsure if this was crossing a line of sorts.

She knew of her passing, everyone in Paris did, but hearing Adrien talk about it directly was very different to reading newspaper headlines.

"Everyday."

His lips quirked into a sad smile of sorts as he cracked an eye open, and Marinette wasn't sure what to say.

She decided on nothing.

Instead she reached out to grasp his hand, entwining their fingers and squeezing lightly.  
They both lay there enjoying the quiet and the weight of each others hands in their own for a good ten minutes until Adrien began to yawn and squirm a little as the drowsiness from his pain meds clearly began to set in.

"Marinette? Do you think... do you think you could cuddle me while I fall asleep?" The request sounded a little childlike and the uncertainty in his voice was clear, as if fearing rejection from her.

For a moment her brain seemed to short circuit. Adrien, the super attractive model and her crush for months, wanted her to cuddle with him!

She forced herself to relax though. She didn't want to make it seem like a huge deal as that would likely only add to his self consciousness around asking in the first place.

She needed to be relaxed, chill and casual.

"Yeah, of course" she smiled and shuffled closer.  
She carefully wrapped an arm around Adriens waist below his ribs, making sure to be as gentle as she could. He let out a small content sound before moving his head to rest on her chest, tilting his body slightly to be tucked tightly up against her side.  
Marinette used her free hand to gently run through his hair in a soothing motion, and it was barely any time at all until he fell into a deep and much needed sleep.  
She wasn't far behind, her eyes suddenly too heavy to keep open as she was lulled into a nap of her own by Adriens soft snores and warm body.

When Nathalie came in ten minutes later to see the pair cuddled up together fast asleep, she decided she could stretch the visit to another hour or two.

She tells herself it's simply because it seems to be the most restful sleep Adrien had gotten in weeks, maybe months, but the smile she can't quite fight off when seeing then both tangled together says otherwise.


End file.
